U.S. Department of State: A Reference History

(Hardback)

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Description

This reference history describes and analyzes the State Department and Foreign Service of the United States. It also outlines the history of three major State Department functions, namely, the treatymaking process and record, representation in international conferences, and participation in international organizations and other agencies. The volume covers more than two centuriesfrom the genesis of American diplomacy to the 1990s. Unlike other works, this volume deals with such matters as departmental organization and management; personnel and staffing; administrative practices, reform, and reorganization; and the Department's operations, functions, principal and other officers, and problems. The volume consists of eight chapters, extensively footnoted, each of which focuses on successive periods grouped in four major historical eras. Tables are designed to serve as further reference for long-range historical analysis and exploration. The book is supplemented with three appendixes and a comprehensive bibliography. A complete and up-to-date major reference, this will be an asset to the reference collections of both academic and public libraries.

Reviews

"Plischke has written the most comprehensive, detailed, and balanced history of the US Department of State to date in a single volume source...Highly Recommended for all readership levels."-Choice
""Plischke has written the most comprehensive, detailed, and balanced history of the US Department of State to date in a single volume source...Highly Recommended for all readership levels.""-Choice

Author Bio

ELMER PLISCHKE is Professor Emeritus at the University of Maryland, College Park, and is a recognized authority on U.S. foreign relations and State Department matters.